Apparatus and methods for power amplifiers with an injection-locked oscillator driver stage

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10171053-B2
Application number	US-201715584463-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 2, 2017
Priority date	May 5, 2016
Publication date	Jan 1, 2019
Grant date	Jan 1, 2019

Abstract

Apparatus and methods for power amplifiers with an injection-locked oscillator driver stage are provided herein. In certain configurations, a multi-mode power amplifier includes a driver stage implemented using an injection-locked oscillator and an output stage having an adjustable supply voltage that changes based on a mode of the multi-mode power amplifier. By implementing the multi-mode power amplifier in this manner, the multi-mode power amplifier exhibits excellent efficiency, including when the voltage level of the adjustable supply voltage is relatively low.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A multi-mode power amplifier comprising:
a driver stage including an injection-locked oscillator configured to receive a radio frequency input signal and to generate an injection-locked radio frequency signal;
an output stage configured to amplify the injection-locked radio frequency signal to generate a radio frequency output signal, the output stage configured to receive power from an adjustable supply voltage; and
a supply control circuit configured to control a voltage level of the adjustable supply voltage based on a mode of the multi-mode power amplifier.

2. The multi-mode power amplifier of claim 1 wherein the injection-locked oscillator includes an output balun configured to provide a differential to singled-ended signal conversion.

3. The multi-mode power amplifier of claim 1 wherein the driver stage is powered by a substantially fixed supply voltage.

4. The multi-mode power amplifier of claim 3 wherein the mode of the multi-mode power amplifier is selectable between two or more power modes including a high power mode in which the adjustable supply voltage is greater than the substantially fixed supply voltage and a low power mode in which the adjustable supply voltage is less than the substantially fixed supply voltage.

5. The multi-mode power amplifier of claim 1 wherein the radio frequency input signal is a modulated signal having a substantially constant signal envelope.

6. The multi-mode power amplifier of claim 1 wherein the radio frequency input signal is a single-ended input signal, and the injection-locked oscillator includes an input transformer configured to convert the single-ended input signal to a differential input signal.

7. The multi-mode power amplifier of claim 1 wherein the injection-locked oscillator includes a negative transconductance circuit electrically connected to an inductor-capacitor tank, the negative transconductance circuit configured to provide energy to the inductor-capacitor tank to maintain oscillations.

8. The multi-mode power amplifier of claim 7 wherein the negative transconductance circuit includes a pair of cross-coupled field-effect transistors.

9. The multi-mode power amplifier of claim 7 wherein the injection-locked oscillator further includes a signal injecting circuit configured to provide signal injection to the inductor-capacitor tank based on the radio frequency input signal.

10. A method of radio frequency signal amplification, the method comprising:
generating an injection-locked radio frequency signal from a radio frequency input signal using an injection-locked oscillator of a multi-mode power amplifier;
amplifying the injection-locked radio frequency signal using an output stage of the multi-mode power amplifier;
powering the output stage using an adjustable supply voltage; and
controlling a voltage level of the adjustable supply voltage based on a mode of the multi-mode power amplifier using a supply control circuit.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising providing a differential to singled-ended signal conversion at an output of the driver stage using an output balun.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising powering the driver stage using a substantially fixed supply voltage.

13. The method of claim 10 further comprising providing a modulated signal having a substantially constant signal envelope to an input of the driver stage.

14. The method of claim 10 further comprising injection locking an inductor-capacitor tank of the injection-locked oscillator to the radio frequency input signal.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising providing energy to the inductor-capacitor tank to maintain oscillations using a negative transconductance circuit.

16. A packaged module comprising:
a package substrate; and
a semiconductor die attached to the package substrate, the semiconductor die including a multi-mode power amplifier including a driver stage including an injection-locked oscillator configured to receive a radio frequency input signal and to generate an injection-locked radio frequency signal, and an output stage configured to amplify the injection-locked radio frequency signal to generate a radio frequency output signal, the output stage configured to receive power from an adjustable supply voltage having a voltage level that changes based on a mode of the multi-mode power amplifier.

17. The packaged module of claim 16 wherein the semiconductor die further includes a low noise amplifier and a switch electrically connected to the low noise amplifier and to the multi-mode power amplifier.

18. The packaged module of claim 16 wherein the injection-locked oscillator includes a negative transconductance circuit electrically connected to an inductor-capacitor tank, the negative transconductance circuit configured to provide energy to the inductor-capacitor tank to maintain oscillations.

19. The packaged module of claim 18 wherein the injection-locked oscillator further includes a signal injecting circuit configured to provide signal injection to the inductor-capacitor tank based on the radio frequency input signal.

20. The packaged module of claim 16 wherein the semiconductor die is a silicon-on-insulator die.

Assignees

• Skyworks Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Soliman Yasser Khairat

Classifications

• H03F2200/516

  Some amplifier stages of an amplifier use supply voltages of different value · CPC title

• H03B2200/0074

  Locking of an oscillator by injecting an input signal directly into the oscillator · CPC title

• H03B5/08

  with frequency-determining element comprising lumped inductance and capacitance · CPC title

• H03F3/245

  with semiconductor devices only · CPC title

• H03B9/12

  using solid state devices, e.g. Gunn-effect devices · CPC title